WHAT DO WE CELEBRATE ON 21 MARCH?

  

What  do  we celebrate on 21st  March?

21 March  is  not only the first day of Spring or the equinox day, that is to say the beginning of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere,  but it is much more: it is a day where  a lot  of national and international celebrations take place .

This spring day has been chosen to celebrate or remember important events and issues as the fight against  racial discrimination or to remember all the innocent victims of mafia.

International celebrations

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

 

 

The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is celebrated every year on March 21 since 1967. This date was chosen to remember the tragic event  of the Sharpeville massacre in 1960, perhaps the bloodiest day in the terrible history of apartheid in South Africa. During a peaceful demonstration against the laws of racial discrimination, white policemen killed 69 unarmed black people who protested against the Urban Areas Act, which required black South Africans to show special permission “the pass laws”, if they were stopped in areas reserved for whites. This action was officially condemned by the UN, which six years later in 1966 established this day as the  international day against racial discrimination to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination. 

Against the alarming rise of xenophobia, racism and intolerance that has been diffusing recently in different countries of the world, the UN Human Rights Office has launched  its #FightRacism campaign to foster a global culture of tolerance, equality and anti-discrimination. During the week are organized campaigns, manifestations  in various countries and continents of the world.

 The International Day of Forests

The International Day of Forests was proclaimed on 21 March the International Day of Forests in 2012 to celebrate and raise awareness of the importance of all types of forests. Countries are encouraged to undertake local, national and international efforts to organize activities involving forests and trees, such as tree planting campaigns.

Forests still cover a third of the Earth’s surface, performing vital functions. About 1.6 billion people, including over 2000 indigenous cultures, depend on forests for their livelihoods, medicines, energy, food and shelter. Forests give us so much to our health. They purify the water, clean the air, capture carbon to fight climate change, provide food and life-saving medicines, and improve our well-being.

Yet deforestation continues to be alarming  and accounts for 12-20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which contribute about 4.5 billion tons of carbon dioxide to climate change.

It’s up to us to safeguard these precious natural resources.

 

National celebrations (Italy)

Day of Remembrance and Commitment in memory of the innocent victims of mafias

 

In Italy on 21 March Libera , Don Ciotti’s Associations, names and numbers against mafias celebrates the  Day of Remembrance and Commitment in memory of the innocent victims of mafias. established on  1 March 2017, with a unanimous vote in the Chamber of Deputies.

The initiative was born from the pain of a mother who lost her son in the massacre of Capaci, where was killed the judge Falcone and his wife and his security men,  and  has never heard his name. For this reason  the victims’ names are  read out one by one in thousands of public locations across Italy. People who do not wish to be simply remembered, but ask to see the realization of the ideals and hopes for which they sacrificed their lives.

Since 1996, every time in a different city, in  Palermo and in many other places of the country, the long list of victims is read in public events to mark the memory and make daily commitment: recite those names and surnames as an endless civil rosary, to make them live again, to never let them die; embrace all together sincerely the families of the innocent victims of the mafia, not forgetting the victims of massacres, terrorism and duty.

 

World Poetry Day

 Every year, on March 21st,  World Poetry Day is celebrated to promote linguistic diversity through poetic expression for both this wonderful human expression but also to honour poets and oral tradition and to promote writing and reading.

This anniversary was wanted by UNESCO in 1999 to claim the power and importance of poetry for our lives. especially in hard times.

There are many ways to celebrate it, including online sharing of your favourite poems, both personal and other authors, or participating in poetry events.

 So what will  you celebrate the next 21 March?

AGNESE, 4sc